Peter H. Nalen » President/CEO

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Interview By: Trista Walker

Title:
President/CEO

Brands Influenced:
P&G, Johnson & Johnson, Burton Snowboards

Education:
BA Middlebury College
MBA Northwestern University Kellogg Graduate School of Management

Hobbies:
Fly Fishing, Coaching, Parenting, Cooking, Skiing, Sailing, Yoga, Charitable Support

Favorite Quote:
“Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules… You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things… they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.” — Jack Kerouac

Favorite Websites/Online Properties:
Expedia (I travel a lot); Zagats ( I go out to dinner a lot); and my blog that I set it up when my first child went away to school in order to share whatever wisdom I had gained when I first went away to school, so he could learn from my mistakes and I could learn from his experiences. It has since become a good repository of life lessons that I think are good for our children as they go off on their own, and maybe a coping mechanism for us parents left at home.

You founded Compass to focus on the patient experience in the rare disease space. Is there a personal experience or motivation behind that?
There is. My brother discovered a small lump in his neck in 1989. It was the size of a pea and benign. Three months later, the lump was the size of a lemon and … well …not benign—it as a rare form of cancer, called Lyposarcoma, and even rarer, it was located in his neck. So the struggle began, but we were late, and there was very little information, very few places to look, even fewer fellow patients, or those familiar with the condition to talk to. And after 7 years, the battle was lost. If we had had access to better information, we would have been empowered to make better decisions and he may be with us today.

We all have a story like this; about someone we know and love, who has a rare condition and is in the fight for their lives. I and the rest of us here at Compass get up every morning because we believe in these patients and their loved ones. We believe we can positively impact their lives. Our goal is to make this happen, for everyone suffering from a rare condition.

You and Kristin have been business partners for over 7 years (and colleagues prior to that). To what do you attribute the success of your partnership?
First, Kristin has a great deal of patience! She’s pragmatic and detail-oriented – and I’m always looking to what’s “out there.” We compliment each other extremely well. From the beginning, she’s never been afraid to push back, yet we agree on the major goals and objectives. We both have a true respect for what the other brings to the party. If I hadn’t met Kristin, this company wouldn’t have happened.

What is the biggest marketing challenge you see for marketers of specialty or niche brands in the future?
Tough question – there are so many. One that comes right to mind is figuring out the best way to support the physician audience given the challenge of capturing their time and all the ways in which brands are competing for their attention. Brands need to be comfortable with directional information (pick proven ROI or innovation — you can’t have both at this stage). You have to be willing to take chances with different tactics and then look at the results to refine the focus. The speed of evolution of the technology requires quick action. Brands need to move quickly.

Biggest opportunity?
Related to the last question, it’s figuring out what works for your brand and your condition given everything out there.

Being from Minnesota, I know you’re a big hockey fan. Most memorable hockey moment you’ve seen LIVE?
I have two: The first time I saw my son [Jack] play wearing the same uniform I wore 33 years ago, and watching my daughter [Lucy] skate down the ice, black pony tail flying behind her, the puck on her stick in front off her, weaving through the opposing team—all with a smile on her face.

If you could be your favorite book character, who would you be?
Jack Ryan in a Tom Clancy novel.

When not travelling, your favorite way to spend a Saturday?
Fly fishing. But if I’m not fly fishing, it would be coaching hockey and baseball or watching my kids in any sport or event – followed by an afternoon asado.

Favorite board game?
Indiana Jones Edition of LIFE. I love watching my son [Slater] play it. He especially loves setting it up. It’s such a bad game, but he loves it.